“Just when the caterpilla thought the world was ending, he turned into a butterfly.”
If you’ve ever suffered anxiety you’ll know how soul destroying it is to wake up every day not knowing how you’re going to feel.
Anxiety can turn a great day into a shaking, sweating, crying meltdown in the cereal aisle just because the granola was in a slightly different place and some people got a bit too close…
If you have suffered or know someone that does, you will know there is no quick fix to anxiety, but there are a million ways we can help ourselves. Many, many people (including myself) have found that yoga can be a huge help, whether it be to get through the day or on the path to recovery.
“Yoga has a sly, clever way of short-circuiting the mental patters that cause anxiety.”
Forget the stereotype of yoga. It’s not all tie dye, #feelingblessed hipster Instagram posts and super bendy, beautiful people.
Yoga is for anyone that thinks it might help them regardless of their age, body type or gender. It is one of the most rewarding ways to improve the way your body works and how you think of it.
Even the most traditional medical professionals are starting to realise that there are some seriously amazing health benefits from practising yoga. In particular a regular practice is one of the best treatments for curing stress and tensions of every day life.
If your anxiety has left you feeling a bit lost, without a purpose or not knowing where to turn next to get out from under the dark cloud following you, scheduling a specific time for a yoga class can give you something to look forward to and to plan around. Regular yoga classes add structure to your life that helps you build focus in a positive way.
Or if anxiety has drained your confidence, which unfortunately it often does to even the most go-getting confident people, a regular practice can help you to regain a belief in yourself.
As you progress through your yoga practice at your own rate you’ll find you improve quickly. Feeling like you are succeeding and working well at something is a great feeling for anyone.
Worried about joining a class?
It can be daunting thinking about going to a new class, so why don’t you see if you can take a friend or a family member to your first class for some moral support.
Once you arrive you will see that a yoga class is full of like minded people, the majority of whom are or have felt exactly the way you are.
You will probably feel like everyone is going to be falling into the splits and contorting themselves into crazy, superhuman postures. Trust me – everyone is on their own journey and during the practice it’s unlikely anyone will even notice you because their attention will be on touching their own toes!
It’s been proven that the physical practice of yoga can help anxiety. All that stretching to get into poses help to cleanse the body and work out tension from the muscles. Bringing oxygen to tired muscles always helps you feel little more refreshed and calm.
If you don’t believe it try it! Next time you’re stressed or anxious just reach your hands as high as you can above your head and stretch. You’ll be surprised at how good it feels.
There are many elements to a yoga practice that can help relieve your anxiety and stress – the first being the breath.
You know when you get that bubbling feeling in your brain? When it fills like something somewhere is about to boil over? You can stop those anxious feelings by stopping, keeping still and focusing on your breath.
There are SO MANY breathing techniques, and we will run through these in another blog, but in the meantime there are huge amounts of YouTube videos running through alternate nostril breathing which is personally my go-to!
Surprisingly this can really quickly lower your heart rate and distract attention from panic or negatives thoughts.
Most importantly yoga gives you the opportunity to be more than your anxiety.
Your yoga class is a place of sanctuary. Somewhere you can be still, be calm and shut the world out. Before a practice you will usually spend a few minutes centering yourself and I always mentally tell myself that I give myself permission to be in the room, to leave my to-do list at the door.
Being part of a yoga community gives you a safety net of support and a constant stream of activity.
No matter how stressed or anxious you may be it’s hard to overwork your mind in a yoga class.
Has yoga helped you with anxiety? Please let us know your experiences.
